One of Scotland’s biggest craft beer festivals is moving West from Edinburgh and renaming itself The Glasgow Craft Beer Festival. It’s new home is SWG3 in Glasgow with the festival taking place from from 8-9 July.
The team behind Bigfoot, We Are Beer host events across London, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol and will now make their mark in at SWG3 which is well known for its distinctive creative spaces where art, music, design and food all collide.
The new Glasgow’s Craft Beer Festival is all about the celebration and discovery of craft beer and its diverse culture and audience.
Co-founder of We Are Beer, Greg Wells said, “We’re delighted to announce a new home for our Scottish event and couldn’t be more excited to bring our celebration and exploration of craft beer to Glasgow this July. The craft beer scene in the city is bubbling over with talent, variety and quality and we can’t wait to showcase some of it at our new home in SWG3. The event encourages exploration and learning so whether you’re a seasoned festival-goer or brand new to craft beer, we’ve got something to whet your appetite at Glasgow Craft Beer Festival.”
Meryl Gilbert, Head of Commercial Events & Partnerships, said: “We’re excited to be welcoming the Glasgow Craft Beer Festival to SWG3 this July. As a venue, we’re very passionate about great beer, good food and music which the festival will have in abundance. We look forward to hosting what is set to be an amazing weekend.”
A new home for Scotland’s celebration of craft beer, SWG3 will elevate the festival, celebrating modern beer culture and allowing fans to discover craft beer’s world of creativity and diversity in one of the UK’s most vibrant cities. Don’t miss out – sign up for early bird ticket prices and line-up news at glasgowcraftbeerfestival.co.uk.
Edinburgh pubs the Hanging Bat, Brauhaus and The Wee Vault are just three of the 50 Scottish pubs who have stocked up on a luminous green beer to celebrate St Patrick’s day, created by Portobello-based brewery, Vault City Brewing.
The brewery has created a sweet “Apple Soor” beer that tastes like Apple Sourz.
Vault City co-founder Steven Smith-Hay says, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the pick-up from bars and nightclubs, and we are proud to be a part of people’s St Patrick’s Day plans.
“We’re fruit fanatics at Vault City, and we’ve made beers showcasing just about every colour in the rainbow. It’s great to have green ticked off the list, and we hope people will think of Ireland, St Patrick’s Day and memories of their favourite nights out when they see it and drink it.”
Vault City also has a bottle shop and taproom in Haymarket. To find out more, or to order beer, visit vaultcity.co.uk.
Jump Ship Brewing, founded by Sonja Mitchell, is going from strength to strength with recent listings including Buzzworks, Bonnie & Wild and Fhior. The brand which was created by Sonja out of a love of beer and a horror of hangovers launched with Yardarm lager in December 2019 and subsequently won a Gold medal at the World Beer Awards.
The company now has a full-time brewer Pete Sharp, and the company has recently enlisted the support of Jenny Elliott, the drinks consultant, who is tasked with a further push into the Scottish premium on-trade market. Her first success is securing a listing for the brand at Buzzworks Scotts’ restaurants, all of which are beside the water.
Sonja’s next focus will be the build of her no-lo brewery just outside Edinburgh later this year. She says, “We want to do great things as well as brew great beers. We have committed 10% of profits to charity and brew our beers as sustainably as possible.”
The next beer to hit the shelves is a no-alcohol fruity summer sour.
Meanwhile, Sonja was a ‘Scottish Edge’ winner in December 2021winning a share of the £1.5 million prize pot having been judged by a panel of Scottish business experts.
Scottish chef Tony Singh has collaborated with Aberdeen-based Fierce Beer to create a range of beers with an Indian twist and a deal has already been signed with the new brewery-themed hotel at Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge.
Tony explains, “I’ve been looking to create something different and felt there was a gap in the market for a range of premium beers with a distinctly Indian twist that are great on their own but could also complement curries. I wanted to have a bit of fun with ingredients and flavours, and I feel we’ve created two cracking launch beers that will have everyone talking.”
Kicking off with Indian Lager infused with cardamom and Citrus Pale Ale infused with lemon zest and coriander seed, the refreshing character is at the heart of each beer. The colourful packaging and striking designs include a paisley print as a nod to both Tony’s Indian and Scottish roots.
Managing Director of Fierce Beer, Dave Grant said, “We’re proud to be producing this range for Tony and we feel there’s nothing else quite like it in the marketplace. We know consumers are looking for something different and aren’t afraid to be experimental, so we believe these beers will be well received.”
Already, there has been huge interest in the brews prior to launch. An initial contract has been secured with the Marriott brand Moxy, who will be the first hotel group to stock it, kicking it off in their brewery themed hotel at Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge.
Tony continues; “It was great to work with the team at Fierce Beer who have an innovative approach to creating beers and I really respect their passion for the craft. I’m just really excited for people to try them for themselves and see what we’ve produced.”
Currently available as 30 litre kegs and fully recyclable 440ml cans, they can be purchased directly from Fierce Beer at https://www.fiercebeer.com/
Future plans are already underway to extend the range further over the next 12 months.
Ethical brewer, Brewgooder has partnered with Fierce Brewing and Williams Brothers as part of its drive to donate one billion pints of clean water to the developing world.
These partnerships will help Brewgooder unlock more than 100m litres of water this year alone, and help to grow sales by more than 200% keeping the B Corp Scottish brewer on track to reach its target of £5m annual turnover by 2024.
Brewgooder, uses a “fully-distributed” or “contract brew” model where they work with other brewers to use any spare capacity available in order to maximise production capacity while minimising its carbon footprint. To-date they have worked with over 150 different brewers across the world.
The new deals come as both Alloa-based Williams Brothers and Aberdeen firm Fierce Brewing announce major investment into improving their brewing facilities.
As well as the new partnerships, the company has also struck deals which will see them introduce at least six new beers and pack formats to customers UK-wide, including the Co-op, Asda and Mitchells & Butler.
Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder, said: “The Brewgooder message is spreading farther and wider, and we are now firmly established as the foremost purpose-led brewer in a category where consumers are increasingly demanding purpose from brands.
“Consequently, we’ve seen demand for our beers surge in the past 18 months and that is set to accelerate in 2022 and 2023. We have developed a range of new, accessible, and uncompromising beers in-house for 2022 to continue that momentum.
“Our ‘distributed’ brewing model allows us to put these recipes to work with the very best brewers in the country while keeping environmental sustainability front and centre.
“Both Williams Brothers and Fierce are best-in-class partners who we truly admire because they make quality craft beer. We are excited to be entering the next phase of growth with them.”
In September last year, Williams Brothers invested a six-figure sum into new equipment capable of canning up to 16,000 beers per hour on top of enhanced multi-packing features. Meanwhile, Fierce is moving into a new facility that will see the brewery double capacity over the next 12 months, with space for further expansion.
Through the partnerships, Brewgooder is maintaining its commitment to sustainable brewing, with Fierce recently installing PV panels to help power its facility, and recycling grain by sending it to farmers for feed.
The brewers’ location in central Scotland and the north east means Brewgooder continues to brew on its home turf – meaning the beers need travel no more than 50 miles to reach the majority of its customers.
Scott Williams, Founder of Williams Bros, said: “The whole brew team at Williams Bros is delighted to join Brewgooder on its mission. It’s a lovely opportunity to widen distribution and awareness of our brewing capabilities with the added glow of helping the guys help others.”
Dave Grant, Founder and MD of Fierce Brewing, said: “We’re incredibly excited to team up with the amazing team at Brewgooder and play a part in helping them continue their outstanding work to empower communities and make clean water accessible for everyone around the world. We’re excited to play a very important role by helping them to make great beer!”
UKHospitality has responded to the Governments alcohol duty review and is urging it to go further and faster in its reforms to the alcohol duty system that were announced at the last budget, particularly when it comes to draught beer and cider. Currently, the discount will only apply to products in 40-litre plus containers and UK Hospitality is also asking for it to be expanded to include containers of 20-litres plus.
They are calling on levels of relief to increase to at least 20% and for the duty review to apply to more products and to be brought forward to this autumn.
They are also proposing that the Government looks at a reduced rate of duty for other products and package types sold through hospitality businesses, and for the administrative burden of complying with the excise duty to be further streamlined.
UKHospitality Chief Executive, Kate Nicholls said, “We very much welcome the alcohol duty review. Streamlining the system is a positive measure, underpinned by rational thinking and we particularly applaud the introduction of a reduced rate of duty for draught beer and cider, products sold almost exclusively through hospitality venues.
“In the face of the cost-of-living crisis, it will be important for operators to keep the price of drinks for consumers as low as possible, particularly as operational costs continue to soar and, come this April, the industry will be hit with a triple whammy of increased VAT, business rates, and labour costs. This will inevitably result in price rises across the sector and prove particularly damaging to pubs, restaurants and hotels that rely heavily on drinks sales.
“As well as this alcohol duty reform to help support the sector, we are also urging the Government to keep the current lower rate of 12.5% VAT for the sector permanently for food, non-alcoholic drinks, entry fees, and accommodation.”
Sustainability is a hot topic and one that Heineken is embracing with its continuing rollout of HEINEKEN SmartDispense. As we begin 2022 the brewer talks to some of the UK’s leading operators to understand what can be done to both protect the planet and keep customers happy.
UK hospitality needs to consider how they can adopt more environmentally friendly practices across their operations. Sustainable solutions are often perceived to be more expensive or less convenient, but this doesn’t have to be the case and with 79% of consumers changing their purchase preference based on sustainability[1] it has never been more important to consider what can be done to make businesses more sustainable.
The following four operators have done just that and have also embraced HEINEKEN SmartDispense. Here is what they have to say:
Steven Kirby, Area Operations Manager, ETM Group – the group behind London bars The Botanist and Aviary comments, “Here at the ETM Group we’re very conscious of our footprint on the planet and have an internal committee that reviews every area of our operations. The pandemic enforced lockdown gave us more time to really challenge ourselves as a business, to review what we can do to operate more sustainably.
“HEINEKEN SmartDispense has also fundamentally changed the way we do business. The efficiency of the system and service saves us both time and stress. In particular, the time drain of line cleaning and wasted chemicals has all been removed. Reducing the line clean to once a month, managed by a qualified service technician has given our staff more time to focus on other areas of the business such as marketing and improving customer service, while simultaneously reducing wastewater and excess cleaning products.”
Marten Lewis FRSA · Head of Corporate Responsibility at Bluestone National Park Resorts Ltd in Wales – a 500 acre resort, says, “We recently conducted a piece of customer research, that asked how much importance individuals placed on environmental factors when booking a stay. The results demonstrated over 60% expressed this was important to them when booking a trip.
“Sustainability has always been a focus across every part of our business and my role was created to oversee the implication of various initiatives across our resort. A few examples of the processes we have introduced include, itemising menu items individually, so guests only receive what they’ve specifically ordered and don’t end up leaving ingredients. We also weigh every piece of food waste daily and log this information to keep track of wastage. Both simple processes not only reduce our waste but also reduces costs, knowing we’re offering accurate portion sizes and exact ingredients ordered by the customer. The latest initiative we have introduced across our resorts is refillable water bottles and water fountain stations, fully removing the need for PET single-use plastic water bottles.
“Another part of my role is to regularly provide training for staff to refresh on the recycling processes. Through our monthly SmartDispense service visit, it’s one less thing to worry about as we have the peace of mind that we’re serving great quality beer through clean lines, thanks to the monthly technician line clean. Since installing SmartDispense two years ago we now save on average 45 pints and three hours of time per bar, per week, so we’re reducing waste and maximising efficiency”.
Sall Colak, General Manager of The Gun Pub, London is also a convert to HEINEKEN SmartDispense. He says, “Sustainability is very important for our customers, by having a pint that uses our SmartDispense system they’re doing their bit for the environment. Our SmartDispense system from HEINEKEN provides us with good quality beer and cider every time. The benefit of being a SmartDispense pub is we use less water and CO2 so our customers can enjoy their pint knowing they’re doing so more sustainably. We’re so glad HEINEKEN is talking about SmartDispense, not only can our customers taste that they’re having a great pint, but they’re also helping the environment.”
Barrie Newton, Owner of Tavern in The Town, Rugeley too is impressed, “HEINEKEN SmartDispense has noticeably increased the efficiency of our business, with line cleaning reduced to every 10-12 weeks we’re saving man-power and we even have more time to focus on other areas of our business.
The quality of our beer has also never been better than with HEINEKEN’s SmartDispense system. Our customers are enjoying a better tasting beer that’s also better for the environment. No ifs or buts, HEINEKEN SmartDispense means every pint is the perfect pint.”
A pub powered by HEINEKEN’s SmartDispenseTM technology saves 83% of water compared to a pub using a standard dispense system[1], all while ensuring their customer gets a perfectly poured pint served at sub-5°C every single time. SmartDispense pubs have collectively saved an incredible 107m pints of water and 394 tonnes of CO2 in the past seven years[2]. That’s the equivalent of almost 340,000 bathtubs full of water[3], just by enjoying a sustainable pint from a SmartDispense pub.
Discover how other operators are doing their bit for the planet and how you can become a more sustainable pub whilst serving great quality pints:
The BBPA is urging consumers to support their local this Dry January by enjoying a pint of non-alcoholic beer at the pub including non-alcoholic beer on draught.This comes as they revealed that 7.8m pints of low and no alcohol will be sold this month but the majority of it will be sold in shops and supermarkets.
‘Dry January’ has always been a quieter month for pubs, with consumers reducing their visits to the pub as they abstain from alcohol but, as a result of the COVID restrictions which decimated pubs’ trade over the critical Christmas and New Year period (the BBPA estimates that pubs sold 37 million fewer pints over Christmas – worth £300 million in trade), the BBPA says it is vital that Brits support their locals this January and beyond.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, commented:
“It has been a torrid Christmas for pubs, which now need the support of the communities they serve in the difficult months ahead.
“The range and quality of non-alcoholic beers in the UK has never been better. Some are now available on tap in pubs, making them the perfect option for those doing Dry January who are thirsty for a pint.
“If more of the 7.8 million pints of non-alcoholic beer we expect to be consumed this January are sold in pubs, it will be a big boost for our sector”.
Innis and Gunns will build the first large-scale brewery in Edinburgh in 150 years. The new £20m brewery, in partnership with Heriot-Watt University, has been given the go-ahead by the City Of Edinburgh Council and will be built on a two-hectare site at the University’s research park.
As well as brewing Innis & Gunn’s flagship beers, the brewery will include a high-speed canning and bottling line, allowing the company to create all of their products under one roof.
The project will create 30 new jobs and a collaboration with the University’s School of Brewing and Distilling will see undergraduate and postgraduate students spend time on placement in the brewery.
Founder Dougal Gunn Sharp said: “I have wanted to build this brewery in Edinburgh for almost two decades and as the business has grown and gone from strength to strength, the importance has only increased.
“To have planning permission now granted at such an inspiring site is an important step forward.
“Plans for the brewery have taken a natural pause as we all continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, but we are committed to building the brewery when the time is right.
“Although we cannot give an exact date for breaking ground, the longer timeframe does have some positives including more options in the market for the best low-carbon equipment and technology, which have the potential to change the game in terms of energy usage in brewing and packaging processes.”
Lynda Johnstone, global director of estates and facilities at Heriot-Watt University added: “This is an exciting time for everyone involved and it’s a great honour to have the first brewery to be built in Edinburgh in 150 years located within the Heriot-Watt Research Park.
“This is a great addition to the Research Park which is already recognised internationally as a centre for high calibre science and engineering research.”
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) met with HM Treasury officials to make representations for the brewing and pub sector ahead of the Budget on October 27th.
The BBPA highlighted the vital role pubs and brewing play in supporting over 900,000 jobs in communities across the UK and contributing £26 billion to the UK economy across towns, villages, and cities. It told the Government that it must invest in pubs and brewers who have a leading role to play in the recovery, and underlined the importance of co-investment from Government in the form of a fairer tax burden and more level playing field with other European nations post-Brexit.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said, “As we count down the days to the Budget, it was very productive holding a meeting with HM Treasury to further make the case for investment in our sector in the form of fairer taxation.
“Investing in our brewers and pubs is investing in our communities and society to build back better. In return, we will create jobs, boost the local economy and help our communities reconnect and unite again.
“If the Government is serious about levelling up, it must get serious about reducing the tax burdens on our sector.”
After only 12 months trading in the UK and Ireland Madrí Excepional, Molson Coors Beverage Company’s first collaboration with Madrid’s La Sagra Brewery, is celebrating a successful first year of trading in the UK and Ireland.
More than 4,000 outlets are already serving the European lager and and additional 500 will see it installed in their premises over the next month. The lager, which sits in the world beer category, the best performing sector in the on-trade in 20/21, has been quick to establish itself as one of the top ten world lager brands on draught in the on-trade by sales value since the reopening of indoor hospitality[3], with the second-highest rate of sale in the category[4].
The beer has also earned widespread industry recognition and acclaim, earning a silver medal in the lager category at the prestigious World Beer Awards earlier this year.
The world beer category now accounts for more than a quarter of draught lager sales in terms of volume[6], up 5.3% over the past twelve months[7], highlighting the potential for further growth.
To support the growth of the brand, Molson Coors will be launching a multimillion-pound marketing campaign during the first half of next year.
Ryan Mclaughlin, Marketing Controller – Premium Beers, Western Europe at Molson Coors, said,“Madrí has taken outlets by storm since it launched, tapping into the demand for premium options and consumers’ love for exciting new world beers. Given it has only been available for twelve months, with the majority of those having been in a lockdown, its popularity is a real testament to the brand and its great taste experience.
“We launched Madrí with the ambition to grow to 2,000 distribution points by the end of the year and we have already exceeded that target. We will be significantly investing in the brand at the start of next year to continue to raise its profile even further and help operators up and down the country make the most of this great brand’s growing popularity.”
Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer and Glasgow’s Drygate Brewery were the big winners at the annual Scottish Beer Awards.
Fierce Beer were named as Scottish Brewery of The Year picking up 10 medals on the night including 6 Gold’s – a record for the awards. The team also collected the prize for Product Development Team of the Year.
Drygate Brewery collected 8 medals including a gold.
Meanwhile, newcomer Cold Town Brewery collected the Gold Medal for Best Pilsner for their Cold Town Lager and Bellfield Brewery collected a gold medal for its Marzen Festival Lager in the Best Lager category.
The Brewer of the Year was Trevor Sproule at Brew Toon.
The competition, sponsored by Aldi, involves the judges undertaking wide-ranging blind tastings and they then award marks for quality, appearance, and flavour without them having any information on brewers, branding or labels.
Heineken has informed customers that the planned industrial action next week (24-25 August) and the following week (2 – 3 September) has been cancelled.
The proposed industrial action by GXO, (formerly XPO) would have seen beer orders cancelled across the country as around 1,000 draymen, responsible for 40% of beer deliveries, went on strike. The action would also have been accompanied by an overtime ban and work to rule.
However, it appears that Unite, whose GXO Logistics Members, voted for the action over what they called a ‘paltry’ pay offer of 1.4% for 2o21, has come to an agreement, which is still subject to a ballot. This will mean that the strike has been averted.
Heineken has written to customers saying “it is a positive step’. However it has asked customers not to “try and place orders at this stage.” Explaining, “Systems need to be updated.”
Heineken UK has unveiled a network of resources available to its customers called The Heineken Benefits Bar.
The Heineken Benefits Bar offers operators access to dedicated customer support in all areas of their business. It covers all elements of running a great pub, from sharing learnings of the Star Pubs & Bars network to the specially developed tools and technologies, to help boost sales.
Heineken aims to help operators grow their business from helping them to choose the right products and brands for their pub to giving them access to the latest market and consumer trends, marketing insight and providing innovative technology.
Heineken UK has also just launched The Pub Social – a Facebook group open to all operators. This online community gives licensees the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and get advice from peers, as well as real-time relevant support from HEINEKEN UK and Star Pubs & Bars.
It has 800 members at the moment and it is inviting all operators to be part of this community as they navigate reopening, new regulations and the changing needs of customers. Whether it’s sharing ideas for driving footfall, staying active within your community or just looking for recommendations, get honest feedback and learn from the experiences of fellow operators across the country.
The UK will escape the worst of the Heineken’s job cuts, announced earlier this week, with less than 100 jobs expected to be cut here, following a consultation process which began in October. Across the globe, nearly 10% of its 85,000 workforce will be lost due to the ongoing pandemic which has devastated the brewers business. The company reported a net loss of £178.7m, compared with a £1.9bn profit in the previous year.
Although Heineken had seen increased sales in supermarkets, this had not made up for the impact of the pandemic due to the closure of pubs and the restrictions imposed on them.
Heineken UK’s largest site is in Edinburgh, where 600 employees are located and the rest are located throughout England.
A spokesperson for the company said, “The closure of pubs in March and subsequent restrictions, including over the Christmas period, have had an impact on sales volumes of beer and cider for the full year.”
New chief executive Dolf van den Brink revealed the news as he explained how he planned to restore margins and increase productivity and save £2 billion.
He also revealed just some of the support the company had given its customers, suppliers and the communities most impacted by the pandemic.
Said Dolf van den Brink, “We assisted customers with advice, re-opening tools, stock returns and helped them set up online delivery. We supported them financially, for example, by waiving close to €50 million in rental payments. We raised over €10 million to support 50,000 outlets across 21 countries through our Back the Bars initiative. We continued to pay all suppliers on time and reduced payment terms to various small suppliers.
“We provided twenty-three million Euros worth of pandemic relief to support front-line medical workers in the communities where we operate, including drinking water, non-alcoholic beverages, hand sanitiser, and monetary contributions. These included a €15 million donation to the International Red Cross. In Mexico, we announced a dry ice donation of 55 tons to help safely transport vaccines at low-temperatures. The de Carvalho-Heineken family together with their holding company donated €10 million to eight charities supporting the COVID-19 relief efforts.”